67 responses to “Two headed dogs – for Friday Fictioneers.”

1. Dear Björn,

   Intriguing voice. The desk as an altar. Nicely done.

   Shalom,

   Rochelle

   • Thank you 🙂 — I felt to go dark this week…

2. I think it’s obvious by now how I love dark. Intriguing story, I already put my own spin on it, wonder how different it is from your own. I love how you can read this story as a poem, too. You are very crafty.
   Regarding reading other FF stories, I do it week after week. I don’t comment on every story, which doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I just believe it’s better to say nothing than something just for the sake of leaving a mark. I admire Rochelle’s persistence and words of encouragement for every participant.

   • I agree.. but sometimes I find it hard to pass a story without leaving some comment… as for the poem, I always try to find a certain rhythm in my prose.. so maybe it’s both 🙂

3. Great story of liberation from priests and false prophets. And the world need a lot of this right now.
   Bravo.

   • We can indeed be dominated by those claiming to be better… but all it takes is knowledge

4. a double minded man will surely fall….
   and this is one of those leaps in evolution…the reading and writing
   a skill the previous leader did not have…its only a matter of time….

   • I think there’s a reason for burning books — if you want to stay in power… but in power of what you might ask?

5. Bjorn, Good piece. Many of those in power are afraid to let the poor become educated. This sounds a bit like the Israelites and the Egyptians. Well written. 🙂 —Susan

   • I think it can tell many stories of getting free from oppression – Thank you – Björn

6. I love the strength of the pen in this story, Bjorn. Also, Brian’s comment about double minded men which I hadn’t thought of…. Kudos.
   And I agree with trying to read all stories. The thing that bothers me in the end is just as I think I have to stop I read one more and it’s the best one so I continue…. Didn’t make it to the end last week. Am busy revising (for about the MILLIONTH time) my YA novel.

   • I write to so many other prompts.. but at the end I can just do my best.. Finding the thought that I have is often the best thing.. 🙂

     • The best is all we can expect of ourselves. Yes?

7. Bjorn,
   what an intriguing piece. I feel like it is the tip of a huge story. You have infused an epic feel into it beautifully.
   -David

   • Thank you.. sometimes stories write themselves… – Björn

8. The writing desk as an alter…seems appropriate for a bunch of hacks like us 🙂

   • yes an altar for the worshipers of ink

9. Last week was my lucky week them, it was my first story and you commented on it, thanks. This week you really wrote a strong story, love it.

   • Ha.. I will try with as many as I can 🙂

10. the world will not go the dogs after all.

    • 🙂 we are saved.

11. He keeps a serious secret under that humble guise, but I imagine him smiling when no one is watching. Well crafted, Björn.

    • Either that or he’s totally deluded 🙂

12. I’m guessing the last thing these people wanted was to have their “subjects” learning to read but now that one has, freedom beckons. Knowledge is power.
    Great story!

    • Indeed it is 🙂

13. I fear the two-headed dog too.

    • Sometimes they keep me awake at night.

14. A very original take on the photo prompt. Might be barking up the wrong tree, but did you arrive at the two headed dog from the picture above the desk? If so, that’s some out of the box thinking my friend!

    • The two-headed dog came from the song by Roky — who in turn came to that from some pretty disturbing experiments performed in the Soviet Union..

      He sings: “I’ve been working in the Kremlin with a two-headed dog”

      as I wrote it — it came from another box altogether 🙂 but can give hints in many directions… I will update with when I know better

15. The ability to read and write is a great power indeed. A reason why the minority with wealth and power denied it to the masses for so long.
    A great piece of writing Björn.

    • and then those rulers will not have to read either…

16. As always I love the language you use with such effect.
    I have deliberately not read the other comments – my own ‘story’ would be two-headed dogs being the result of chemical warfare.

    • That was very close to my initial thought.. but rereading it.. I realized it could also be an internal struggle.. very much like Roky..

17. There’s a lot of mystery behind this story, but it stands stronger because of it and I like that. I am, however, entirely distracted by trying to enlarge the photo to see if it contains any of these dogs! 😉

    • Alas.. I had to invent them… but there is a clue in the life of Roky Ericksson….

18. Two headed dogs and sacrifices…each sentence seems to build up symbolisms to ponder.
    Ellespeth

    • I found it interesting that I don’t really understand it myself either..

      • That has me chuckling, Bjorn…
        Ellespeth

19. Mystery indeed! This story took me in so many different directions this week, Bjorn. The sci-fi angle, the ancient angle, the storytelling angle… Always superb, when it comes to you. This one will linger into thoughts for a while, for sure.

    • Thank you Dawn.. it was fun to try to write something that was mysterious even for me 🙂

      • Sometimes our minds take us in directions that even our minds don’t understand. 😉

20. I was going to describe this piece as “intriguing”, but I see that word has been used about five times already.

    I don’t know why, but I wonder if our narrator will become just another false prophet?

    • Not unlikely.. but with the scary additional power on knowing how to read..

21. I love the voice and am reminded of the movie Zardoz. Knowledge is the key to many things.

22. I like the irony of the desk being an altar but those in control are illiterate.

23. Bjorn,
    I like your story especially well this week. Patience does reap a harvest in due time.

    All my best,
    Marie Gail

24. Good job Bjorn! Of course! Nan 🙂

25. A dark story for you this week and very nicely done too.

26. A two-headed dog would give me nightmares. Nevertheless, a super story, Bjorn. Expressive.

27. I love the idea that the ‘slaves’ are the ones who can read and write, and the ‘masters’, the two-headed dogs have no idea what they have on their hands. I think a revolt might be on the way.

28. Our fear is what they feed on. My country is full of these two headed dogs. Very nicely written, I feel so inadequate to comment on such fine writing.

29. This sounds like a fantastic opening to a novel.

30. I like this. As soon as I started reading this my inner voice dropped a pitch. Your writing must be effective!

31. Intriguing and a strong piece here 🙂 Well written.

32. Mystery, indeed, Bjorn. What sticks with me is the power of knowledge, of knowing how to read and write. There’s power in words, without it, you’re vulnerable.

33. Wow … this could be interpreted so many ways … initially I was going in an anti-establishment direction … but after reading about Roky I’m wondering about inner demons. Seriously, I have read this over and over again and see so much potential here in your mysterious language.

    Thanks also for adding the song — really enjoyed it and want to hear more of him and the 13th Floor Elevators. 🙂

34. wow Björn a massive story in very few words. i like where you took the image of the desk.

35. “Ipsa scientia potestas est” (knowledge itself is power). Power brokers have known this for long and used it to enslave people. Fascinating story and as always such poetic prose.

36. You’ve described ignorance intelligently.

37. Love the poetic feel to your story, Bjorn, and the depth of the content. Insightful revelations where oppression is concerned.

38. impressive…your words expressing a dark energy stirring and one that holds out hope to break free. also amazing the singer on your video managed to recover from his past troubles. great post!

39. I read this as an allegory of the whole “knowledge is power” thing, whether that knowledge is real or not, whether it’s derived from religion, education, science, or whatever – it’s always open to abuse and ripe for challenging. Very skilfully handled, so as to include such detailed lines and yet leave the meaning so open to interpretation.

40. … also, it’s always great to come across any 13th Floor Elevators mentions 🙂

    • Which opens up the concept that it could also be a hallucinogenic illusion 🙂 I saw Roky live a couple of years ago.. amazing he’s still alive..

      • It is. I probably assumed he’d died a while back tbh. The last time I remember hearing of him was when Henry Rollins paid for him to have new teeth fitted (I think? unless I imagined that story entirely…)

41. I would love to more about how your narrator and his people were cowed into submission. I hope he manages to bide his time and escape.

42. Excellent, Bjorn. The desk is the altar.How dark and sinister. Your prose is so like a dark, intriguing poem. Once people learn to read they learn they what has been done to them and rise up. You have mastered the voice. Well done. Lucy

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